Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge (Game Boy) review

"Only six levels, very few chances to test out new weapons, and situations we've seen before (magical though they are)... Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge is not going to satisfy most gamers, especially those without a hankering for retro or a deep love for Mega Man. Only the hardcore fans will seek this one out and enjoy it, though maybe not as much as they would other contributions to the vast franchise."

The early '90s saw the rise of the Game Boy. Prominent franchises lined up by the scores to have their own portable adaptations, many of which were stripped down to bite-sized portions like Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge.

Your first sigh might come when you see the boss selection screen. A mere four bosses appear, and all ones you've seen before. Cut Man, Fire Man, Ice Man, and Elec Man may be oldies-but-goodies, but you still can't shake the disappointment of familiarity accompanying the lack of selectable levels.

This might be sound like a detestable beginning, but the levels will help you forget your disappointment. Wily's Revenge is a true-blue throwback, what with its hiked up difficulty like the original on NES. Older tropes established by the first three NES titles reappear. Floating blocks materialize and vanish, dropping you down several screens with one misstep; bolts of electricity spark outward from maniacal contraptions; confined spaces packed with bullet-flinging enemies threaten to reduce you to scrap metal; tricky platform scenarios pop up, summoning the utmost of your timing. These scenes would have been a less fortunate inclusion had it not been for the tight controls associated with Mega Man, and old school fans will definitely dig the classic challenges that await them thanks to this.

Wily's relentless army of oddly-designed beasties demands the most of your patience. Many of them approach you with smooth moves, making their destruction difficult. Fail to shoot one down and he'll be on your tail for ages, sapping your life. It only serves to complicate that many of them take several shots to kill. Capcom also didn't thrust these baddies in arbitrary positions, but carefully planned each one to appear in the most inconvenient of areas. Some enemies patrol the very edges of tiny platforms, waiting for you to jump on them so they can bump you into pits. Others fire hard-to-dodge projectiles from awkward angles, and can only be killed while you stand in a particular (read: dangerous) part of the screen.

These situations are more than simple frustrations: they're like puzzles, and they demand your skill and intelligence to solve them. However, these are setups we've seen before in better Mega Man titles--even in previous ones like Mega Man 2 on NES.

Each stage ends with a predictable boss battle and the inevitable collection of a new weapon. The thrill of trying out each new weapon on each remaining boss is there, but with fewer levels the thrill is short-lived. This is true about Wily's Revenge as a whole, as the entire game is only six levels long. You might have noticed that the four weapons you've obtained only take up four small slots on a huge weapon screen, an obvious reference you'll obtain more weapons. If you were hoping for four more levels, though, that hope will be dashed.

After defeating the last robot master, it's off to Wily's Castle. The once man-making experience of blasting through four to six face-crushing levels has now been cut down to a single stage. Exciting and challenging though it is, we're used to Capcom spoiling us. You might have prayed that the level will culminate in a battle against a gargantuan robotic guardian, but instead you face the other four robot masters--Flash Man, Bubble Man, Heat Man, and Quick Man. This feels like Capcom withholding levels, as if they couldn't have programmed four more robot master levels, or three more Wily's Castle stages and instead condensed it all into one gauntlet.

Crush the boss rush and Capcom rewards you with a unique battle against a boss made specifically for Wily's Revenge: Enker. Not only is he a special boss, but he also gives you a ninth weapon! Capcom hoped this would assuage your disappointment.

Afterward, it's on to Wily's sky fortress. It's here that Wily's Revenge tosses fairness out the window and laughs at you while you fail. Numerous scenes appear in which you cannot dodge enemies and have to survive on pure luck. For instance, there are several scenes where you must climb screen-tall ladders while robotic birds drop egg bombs filled with swarms of evil robo-chicks. Since there are walls on either side of you, dodging is not an option. Since you can't shoot upward, self-defense is not an option. You might use some of your special weapons, but weapon power will only last so long. Flash Man's weapon can get you through part of this scenario safely, but it won't last the entire way. Gritting your teeth and taking damage is your only choice.

You might spend years trying to finish this level, or you might lose interest and rage quit before even seeing Wily. Thinking back on the experience as a whole: you may have played a sound Mega Man title, but definitely not a great one. Only six levels, very few chances to test out new weapons, and situations we've seen before (magical though they are)... Mega Man: Dr. Wily's Revenge is not going to satisfy most gamers, especially those without a hankering for retro or a deep love for Mega Man. Only the hardcore fans will seek this one out and enjoy it, though maybe not as much as they would other contributions to the vast franchise.

Rumor has it that Joe is not actually a man, but a machine that likes video games, horror movies, and long walks on the beach. His/Its first contribution to HonestGamers was a review of Breath of Fire III.

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